Burglar-trap



(No Model.)

, G. GREBE.

BURGLAR TRAP.

No. 308,488. Patented Nov. 25, 1884 ig/207a J.

@zare j N. PEYERS. Pnutouho m hur. WashinglonfD. C.

- point.

'NITED STATES HATENI much.

BU RGLAR-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,488, dated November25, 1884.

Application filed May a, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that'I, GEORGE GREBE, of De Witt, in the county of Salineand State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Burglar-Traps and Systems for Preventing Bank Robberies; and I dohere by declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form part of this specification.

I have devised suitable apparatus for erection in banks, dwellings,baggage-cars, stores, and such like places for entrapping thieves intheir attempt at robbery; and my present invention relates to novelmechanism by which a sliding door by suitable operation is made toautomatically close over the space it is designed to cover and entrapthe hand or arm of a person in the attempt at theft being made byreaching through from without.

- The invention consists, substantially, in the construction of partsand their combination and arrangement with respect to each other,

as will hereinafter be distinctly described.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with the apparatushereinbefore referred to as devised for erection in banks, &c., andFigure 1 represents a vertical front elevation of the same, partlybroken away, and with a portion removed, showing the mechanism foroperating the sliding door, either by the hands orfeet, and also showingwire connections by which the same can be operated from a distant Fig. 2is an enlarged front elevation of the sliding door and its operativemechanism, and Fig. 3 is a view in detail of the pawl or detent by whichthe dooris prevented fro being opened from without.

Reference being had to the several parts by letters, A represents theframe-work or casing in which the several parts are suitably arranged tooperate, as hereinafter set forth.

B represents thepartition or screen, dividing, say, for instance, acashiers department from the main room of a bank or store, and isprovided with an opening or cash-window, a, designed to be covered bythe door when closed. Arranged to one side of said cashwindow, andmoving in suitable guideways prepared on the inside of the partition, isthe spring-actuated sliding door I), which closes over and across thecash-window. The 0perative mechanism of said door consists of a rod orbar, 1/, secured at one end to the door,

while its opposite end is free to move in and out of a guide, L, on thepartition, a coiled spring, 0, located on said bar and bearing betweenthe guide L and the outer edge of the door, the said spring beingcompressed when the door is drawn back or opened and expanded when thesame is closed, a forked dctent or pawl, d, engaging the teeth of aratchet-bar, 6, when the door is closed, thereby preventing it frombeing opened from without, the said detent being pivoted to the door, asshown, and the ratchet-bar arranged to one side thereof, a spring, f,arranged on the inner side of the door and bearing downward on the pawld, to keep it in engagement with the ratchet-bar, and a lever, 9, havingits fulcrum or said door beneath the pawl d, by which the said pawl islifted free of its engagement with the ratchet-bar, thereby permittingthe door to be opened. The door is provided with spikes or teeth It (seeFig. 2) by which thehand of the thief is caught in an attempt to reachthrough.

Extending up from beneath a shaft or other structure located at thewindow is a rod, 0, whose upper end comes up behind the door when it isopened to its fullest extent, and serves to maintain it thereat. Thisrod has a projection at its lower end,against which rests the shorterarm of a crank or lever, h, whose opposite or free end connects with awire or rope, i, that is in turn connected at its opposite end with abell-crank. (Not shown.) Attached to this bell-crank is another wire,(also not shown,) that extends out through the front of the apparatusand terminates in a ring or pull, 2'. The free end of a spring, It, thatis secured to the inside of the frame, as shown, passes through theupright rod 0, and serves, when the upright rod has been drawn downward,to always restore it. By pulling the wire 45 the larger arm of the crankor lever h is by the described connections elevated, thus causing theshorter arm to bear or pull the rod 0 downward. In doing this the dooris released, and is strongly closed by the reaction of the coiled spring0, the spring it re storing the rod. This rod works slightly sidewise ina slot, so that in opening the door it is moved aside and the doorpasses over it, but always coming up behind the door to prevent itclosing until operated upon, as just described. The rod 0 has alsoconnected with it at the lower end a wire, 6, that is operated to closethe door by a treadle, D, in like man ner as the other way. Similarly,abell-crank, l, connects with it, by which the same operation can,through the medium of a wire, Z, be performed from a distant point.

The operation of my invention will be well understood from the foregoingdescription.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination,with the door I), .having the spikes, of the bar secured thereto, itsfree end moving in guide L, a coiled spring located on said bar, aratchet-bar, e, and a forked detent engaging the same, a spring secured.to the door and bearing on the detenr, l

and a lever fulcrumed beneath said deten't, the rod O,for holding thedoor in an open position,and lever h, resting against a projectionthereon, and wires extending from said rod, whereby the door may beoperated, substantially as set forth and described.

2. The combi11ation,with the door b,the bar secured thereto, its freeend moving in guide L, and a coiled spring located on said bar, of

